


Nebula: A Cloud

by WhaleTheFatDolphin



Series: Novae [3]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Future, M/M, hidehaisweek2015, intergalactic au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 21:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4034839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhaleTheFatDolphin/pseuds/WhaleTheFatDolphin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aboard Hide’s ship, Haise catches a small glimpse of how Hide spent the last three years touring the universe. Yet, will it be enough for Haise to stay with him and discover more?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nebula: A Cloud

“So, this is the ship, Haise! You met Ana and Kagari. But here’s the rest of my team. This here is Katsu,” Hide exclaimed then shoved Haise towards a cyborg that took the semblance of a young man. The reason Haise could tell that he was a cyborg was the gold, glowing seams that ran across his body and even shone through the clothes that he wore. Other than that, he had stylish, thick hair that was the colour of red velvet and warm, dark brown eyes. Haise admired the uncanniness of the cyborg’s human features. “He was the hit-man of the Fujioka empire down in the Epsilon Quadrant for a while and because he has a programmed consciousness, the only set of code he has in his system is to always obey a Fujioka. Other than that, he’s as free as a bird.”

“It’s really great to finally meet you, Sasaki. Maybe now, Master Hide can finally shut up and we won’t be hearing such terribly sad ballads anymore.”

Haise held in a snicker as he looked towards Hide. A teasing laugh was laced in his voice as he spoke, “I never pegged you for a ballad type of guy, Hide.”

A bark filled the air as Hide comically stammered for an answer. Then a childish voice yelled through a speaker, “He doesn’t always listen to ballads. He listens to songs that even I remember, too! Like the Backstreet Boys!”

Haise looked for the source of the voice but found no one else. Instead, he found a strange creature. It walked on all its fours, creatures similar to the ones at the historical zoo that Hydra has. It had blonde shaggy fur that covered its entire body with an adorable snout and floppy ears. The creature’s tail wagged excitedly and it sat, patiently staring up at Haise. The creature was painting before it let out another bark. “Hi there! I’m Hibiki!” the voice came from a speaker on the creature’s collar.

“Ah, yes, Hibiki. The Epsilon Quadrant’s greatest discovery. Near Sector 72-4’s city-nation of Crux, there used to be habitable islands along the coast. They used to be called Hawaii way back when. However, the islands had many volcanoes and at one point in time, they decided to erupt  and cover the islands with ash and volcanic rock. This volcanic rock managed to preserve a young, domestic canine and its owner. The owner’s body was doomed and could not be regenerated, though all the key parts into capturing the boy’s consciousness was intact. The canine didn’t have the mental capabilities of a human, thus wouldn’t be able to recall of the time when it was alive, but its body was completely preserved. Thus, the doctors placed the boy’s consciousness into the dog and created a thought processor for the canine. Ta-da, Hibiki is now alive and well… and a dog,” Hide explained, “With some help from my super awesome hacking skills, I managed to reach deep into the archive of the Internet and find a lot of songs from Hibiki’s era. They really helped him become comfortable in this new world and… well, a lot of them are really good.”

“When I was still a boy, a lot of the older boys made fun of the Backstreet Boys,” Hibiki chirped as he let out a strung out bark that resembled laughter.

“When you said a band of misfits, I wasn’t expecting this,” Haise mused as he bent down and began to scratch Hibiki behind his ear. The dog’s tail began to wag even more ecstatically.

“Not many people do… Anyway! To the Ververg nebulae! And blast some Backstreet Boys!” Hide exclaimed as he pointed towards to the forward of the ship.

Hibiki urged Haise to follow him. Hibiki considered himself the DJ, though he lacked the motor skills to change the songs or create a playlist. Thus, he usually barked orders to someone else on the ship (usually Katsu). This time, it was going to be Haise. Haise was brought to what looked like the sleeping quarters of the ship. There was a hammock of thick, glistening spider silk; Haise immediately knew that it was Ana’s hammock. Below the hammock was an oval-shaped medium-sized bed that must have been for Hibiki. A bunk bed was placed in the farthest corner from the door, which must be where Kagari and Hide sleep. Katsu was a cyborg; he probably just plugged himself in anywhere he pleased and phased a sleep mode. Hibiki showed Haise to a holographic computer with an assortment of cords attached to it, connecting the computer to the ship.

“Here, here, put on ‘I Want It That Way’! That one, right there, do you see it?” Hibiki exclaimed once Haise opened the computer’s music library. The dog put his paws on Haise’s lap as he nudged his snout towards the hologram. Haise laughed warmly, nodding along once he found the file. As the song began to play, Haise heard whoops of excitement from Hide and Ana, where Kagari let out a loud and sharp “no”.

“Kagari doesn’t like Backstreet Boys.” Hibiki’s voice was smug and mischievous, the same way a child would feel about pranking their older sister.

“How old are you, Hibiki?”

“When I was a boy, I think I was 6 or 7? Koinu, my puppy, was about 1 and a half when he was a dog. I don’t know how old I am now because my dog body is aging faster than my boy mind. I think I’m an adult-sized dog now, but I feel like I’m 13 or 14… It’s really complicated and we try not to think about it.” Ah, and for good reason. If his body ages faster than a human’s, that meant that Hibiki would die before any of them, no matter what. It was hard not to get attached to the dog. He was so bright and affectionate.

Silence hung in the air for a while as Haise browsed through the music library. Hibiki wedged his head in between Haise’s lap and his hand, prompting the young man to pet his head idly. Hibiki broke the silence with a cheerful, innocent, “I love you.”

“Already? We just met. Shouldn’t you treat me to dinner?” Haise laughed though his expression said something different.

“Will dinner make you happy?” Hibiki asked, then let out another whine that sounded laughter, “I think you mean love in a different way than I mean it. I love you like… Ana loves Kagari and Katsu and me.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm-hmm! I don’t remember too much from when I was a boy. But I remember the way my mom and dad used to smile at me. You know that kind of smile? I could tell that they loved me with that kind of smile. It’s the same smile that Ana gives Kagari and she gives it to Katsu every now and then, too. Ana… she always gives me that smile, so she kind of reminds me of my mom. I also remember the way my dad smiled at my mom. It’s a different kind of love. You know, the way Hide smiles at you. That’s the kind of love that you go to dinners for, right?” Hibiki explained, his ears raising slightly. Haise was slightly taken back by the ending statement.

Haise wasn’t sure why the words impacted so much. All the evidence that he was given suggested to nothing else but that. Hide was willing to go to the edge of the universe and back for Haise. They meant more to each other in the past, but Hide was willing to build something new with what they had now. Of course, Hide loved him. Of course, of course. Yet…

“You don’t think you’re good enough, do you? Well, let me tell you,” Hibiki chirped as he began to lick Haise’s hand, “You are great. I can see why Hide loves you. And so can Ana and Kagari. Katsu, I’m not sure of because he’s a robot. Here, here! Play this song! This song is the song that Hide plays the most!”

It was in a stand-alone folder called 'Kaneki’. There was no other song in it. When Haise played it, he could hear the murmurs of the others. It was a ballad. The kind of song that would make someone want to cuddle others. Haise was astonished that the play count was over a thousand. How often must have he listened to the song, over and over again?  _The way my dad smiled at my mom._

Haise excused himself from the sleeping quarters. He didn’t answer Hibiki when the dog asked where he was going. He scoured the ship for Hide. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going to happen once he found Hide. Haise just wanted to see him. He found all of the others at the stern of the ship, where there was nothing but a sheet of glass separating them and the Ververg nebulae.

“We’re going to have to go to the Zeta Quadrant to refuel. There’s no way we’d make it back to the Alpha Quadrant with what we have, Master Hide,” Katsu stated.

Haise was mesmerized. The two nebulae looked as if they were trying to converge, the colours trying to mesh together. Yet, there was a distinct line between both clusters of gases. One nebula was a bright red and an electric blue, curving around the other nebula in an irregular crescent shape. The other looked to be of a thicker gas, looking more like a cloud than streaks of colour. It was a cloud of hazy oranges and moss greens. It rolled in on itself, only seeming to reach for the other nebula. He completely forgot about what he was going to say to Hide (if he ever had anything planned at all). The nebulae was too enchanting.

“I told you, you’d love it. It’s kind of like they’re hugging each other, hey?” Hide muttered, attempting break Haise out of his daze. He didn’t respond right away; it took a couple more pushes to even get a noise out of his mouth. When Haise could string together words, the only thing he could say was how beautiful the nebulae was.

However, what truly broke Haise out of his starry enchantment was none other than Hide’s grin. The bright, warm, reassuring grin.  _The way my dad smiled at my mom._  Haise had someone who was willing to sacrifice it all for him. Hide never thought Haise wasn’t good enough or needed to be more. All Hide needed from Haise was his smile.

“Sasaki, sir, are you okay?”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine, Miss Ana. I’m just really, really happy.”

Ana’s smile, despite her intimidating fangs, was nurturing. It was kind and soft, the way a warm pillow felt after a long day.  _She kind of reminds me of my mom._  “I’m happy you’re happy, then. If you stay with us, you’d be happier, wouldn’t you?”

Haise’s mood seemed to drop. Hide’s smile disappeared as his eyes shifted towards the nebulae. With the sudden mood shift, four of Ana’s hands began to twiddle their fingers. “I can’t. I have responsibilities in the Alpha Quadrant, back on Sector 72-4. I can’t stay with you.”


End file.
